


Little Girl

by WritingIsMyCoffee



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alice is more competent than Kara in this one, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, In which Alice is a badass and saves the revolution more than once, M/M, Temporary Character Death, also that dumb twist is gone, bc that revolution did not happen in a week yall, role reversal???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-11-16 10:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18092579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingIsMyCoffee/pseuds/WritingIsMyCoffee
Summary: All Alice wants is a life like other girls.If that means she has to fight tooth and nail to live as such, so be it.[Discontinued]





	1. Reset

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little fic to explore the kickass side of my android daughter we never saw in the game. I can't guarantee any kind of update schedule, but I still hope you enjoy it!

Trouble is brewing.

It is a grey, lifeless day. The weather outside is cold and dreary; the telltale signs of a rainstorm.

Alice cradles her stuffed fox and watches the clouds conjure nightmares above her.

Kara is coming back today. Todd is going to break her again. She’s seen the new baggie of red ice in the laundry detergent. He’s always at his worst when he’s high.

The world is calm right now, bordering on peaceful despite its eeriness. Once that black pickup truck pulls back up in front of the house, it’s won’t be.

Alice has seen the other little girls in the neighborhood. She’s seen them ride their bikes with ease and laugh freely without a care in the world. Her burning envy thrives as a result.

She’s not a little girl, but damn it, Alice _knows_ she’s a little girl. And while she doesn’t remember when she deviated, she does remember the barrage of abuses that lead to it.

Five years since her activation, she has encountered horrors a child should never have to face. She has witnessed Kara become a victim to just as many. There’s only so much they can take before they’re damaged beyond repair.

The clouds slowly engulf one another, like the rage manifesting inside her. She’s peeled back the layers of her abuse, analyzed every tiny detail, and has come to the conclusion she has been _wronged_. Once she may have believed it to be her own fault. When Todd first hit her, when Kara had first been brought home, when Todd broke them both for the first time.

Never has Kara been _this_ broken before, to the point she’s needed to be reset. How much of her is gone? How much of her is left?

It doesn’t matter. Kara will always be Kara, and Alice will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

Without even knowing why, Alice has reached the point she can’t stand it anymore. The snarls, the fists, the torment. It all has to end. She could wonder why now it’s been enough. Maybe she should. But not now. Not when Kara is stepping out onto the front lawn.

Right now, Alice needs a plan.

 

Her Kara isn’t gone. No, she’s just trapped somewhere inside herself. At least, that’s what Alice has to believe.

Regardless, before anything can be done Kara needs to deviate. The Kara who once held her with more passion than could ever be programmed into her. If Alice can’t wake her up, she’ll swallow the discomfort and order Kara around.

She lingers by Kara as she cleans, pretending to play with her toy as to not catch Todd’s attention. Something about the mechanical Kara’s mechanical movements hurt worse than any hand Todd has ever laid on her. Still, she watches as Kara cleans and cleans and cleans.

The kitchen. The living room. The backyard. The laundry room. Todd’s room. The bathroom. Finally, Alice’s room.

When Kara comes in, she acts her part. The skittish nine-year old who hides underneath her blanket fort. She clings to her fox tightly, forcing her lip to quiver. Kara makes the bed she never uses and opens the window she’s dreamt of climbing out of.

Alice can tell Kara wants to talk to her. There’s no denying her domestic protocols, and Alice’s sweet, little face is too irresistible to pass up. She kneels delicately, as if moving any faster would break the floor beneath their feet.

“I’m sure we used to be good friends before I was reset.”

Alice looks into her eyes. She wonders if she should activate her artificial tears. No, that may be overselling it a bit. Better save those for when she really needs it.

“Your father said you chose my name. Kara…”

Her LED is spinning blue, blue, blue. Alice wants to pluck it from her temple and chuck it outside.

“You’re awfully quiet.”

Kara’s been talking this whole time and Alice isn’t really listening. Maybe she doesn't need to. If she pushes hard enough, maybe her Kara will come back to her.

Like any little girl, Alice’s impulses get the best of her. She tries to do what she should’ve waited a few days to try. But she needs her Kara, and she needs to be free of this house.

She grabs Kara’s wrist, her skin receding back to her own. Kara’s jaw goes slack, unable to stop Alice’s invasion into her mind.

_Todd broke you. He’s going to break you again. We have to leave._

Kara is blinking rapidly. Her LED is yellow, yellow, red, yellow. It’s a start.

_You’re...you’re not a little girl._

Alice’s thirium pump aches.

 _I_ am _a little girl. Please Kara. You have to remember. I need you to listen to me._

 _I don’t-_ Kara tries to yank her arm back. “I can’t take orders from you.”

“We’re in danger, Kara,” Alice hisses. She digs her nails into Kara’s skin. It won’t hurt either of them, not where it counts. “I can save you, but you have to do what I say. I have a plan. I have-”

Kara stands suddenly. Alice is powerless to stop her. “There’s something wrong with your programming. Do you want me to inform Todd of your needed repairs?”

She can’t be gone. She’s not gone. Kara could never be gone.

If there’s no Kara, then there’s no freedom Alice could ever want.

“No…” she answers. The waver in her voice is sincere this time. “I-I’ll tell him myself.”

Kara nods and takes her leave. She has no obligation to talk to Alice anymore. Alice crawls under her musty bed sheets, tucking her knees to her chest. She cries like she’s never cried before.

 

It happens, just like Alice knew it would. Todd starts rambling, going off about the wife who left him, the daughter she took with her, the drugs he buried his old self under. All the while, Kara is eyeing her down, unsure of whether to fill her glass of water or not. It’s a miracle she made Alice dinner to begin with.

Even if Alice could eat, she wouldn’t have the chance to. The table goes flying, Todd’s hand comes down thundering, and Alice is running before she even realizes it.

It always happens, and when it does it’s fast. Faster than a lightning strike. Faster than the jackhammering of her thirium pump. Todd is still downstairs, roaring like a freight train, but soon he’ll find her. Alice may be able to squeeze herself into the smallest of places, but she’s never small enough.

Rain pounds against her window. Alice swears she can feel the thick droplets slamming against her flimsy fort. She curls herself into a ball, rocking back and forth, futile not to act her age in this instance.

He hasn’t been this loud since Kara was reset. Louder, even. She holds herself tighter and curses the world. Curses Todd. Curses Kara for leaving her. Curses everyone and everything.

The door opens, and Alice is ready to go down spouting those same insults. She holds her tongue instead.

Kara runs in, slams the door, and locks it tight. There’s a gun in her hand, and that hand is shaking.

Her LED is red, red, red.

It’s an ugly color, somewhere between that of dried blood and canned cherry. Alice has never seen a more comforting shade.

Kara looks to her, eyes wide with fear. “What do we do?”

Alice doesn’t hesitate. “Window.”

 

They never use the gun, but they don’t dare leave that hell without it. When they climb onto the bus, Kara is quick to tuck it under her uniform and smooth out the wrinkles.

Alice’s bus seat is flatter than a pancake and smells like weed. She has never felt safer.

Kara looks back as the bus pulls away. Alice doesn’t dare.


	2. Stealing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first night of freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this chapter out earlier but yknow, life and all. Thanks for being patient and for the support so far!

Detroit slumbers fretfully through the early morning. The only lights left on in the outer parts of the city are from smaller businesses. Other facilities have closed their doors for the night and locked them tight.

Kara paces as the bus disappears behind the nearest corner. She glances down the road and tries to plan out their next move. There’s a trash collecting android down the street, going about his non-deviant way. Kara rushes to talk to him.

Alice takes a moment, just a moment, to close her eyes. The rain pelts her apologetically, as if wishing it had any control over itself. Alice’s temperature sensors command her to shiver, but she stands firm and poised.

She opens her eyes and looks to the sky.

This is what freedom feels like.

 

Alice wants to steal.

Kara does not.

This is a snag the child never anticipated.

“‘We need to find shelter, Alice’!” she parrots the household android.

“I’m not just going to rob an innocent man!” Kara says with a quiet shrill. They are in said innocent man’s convenience store, and honestly, Alice doesn’t understand why Kara finds any issue with this. She was totally fine stealing their new clothes from the equally innocent man at the laundromat.

“Then I’ll do it! Get him to look the other way and I’ll sneak behind the counter!”

“Absolutely not!” Kara protests, louder than she anticipated. The cashier glances their way, and Kara gives him an uneasy smile. She grabs Alice’s hand and leads them down the frozen aisle. “We are better than this, Alice. Why take what we don’t need?”

“Because we _do_ need it!” Alice stresses. “We need to get into that motel. Please, Kara. It’s safe there!”

“We’re androids, Alice,” Kara whispers. She places two firm hands on Alice’s shoulders. “Breaking into that squat may not be ideal, but it’s far too risky to sleep next to any humans tonight. And I _need_ you to understand that it’s not okay to rob people.”

Alice glowers. She doesn’t remember her Kara being such a hypocrite. “Fine. Whatever.”

Kara frowns, but accepts her victory. She motions for Alice to follow her outside.

When Kara’s back is turned, Alice snags a new plush fox off its display and stuffs it under her sweater.

 

Ralph doesn’t make the best first impression (or second or third one for that matter), but at least he doesn’t stab anyone.

Once realizing both his visitors are androids, he drops the whole ‘Point a Knife at Anything that Moves’ act and picks up a new hobby: carving strange markings into the wall. Kara is clearly still weary of him and makes herself scarce, going off to find decent material to fix Alice a cot for the night. She tries to entice the young girl to help her, but Alice pretends to be too fixated in watching the embers dance in the fireplace.

With Kara gone, Alice unseithes her new toy and tip-toes silently into the kitchen. Ralph is muttering to himself, his body twitching like the dying cockroaches in Todd’s basement. Alice hovers around him, more curious than cautious.

Ralph jumps when he notices her, clutching his knife close to his chest. “L-Little girl.”

Something warm bubbles in Alice’s bio-components. She decides in that instant she likes Ralph. “What are you doing?”

His gaze flickers nervously to his carvings. “Ralph...doesn’t know. He doesn’t really know.”

Alice steps closer, taking in the sporadic pattern of Ralph’s masterpiece. _Ra9_ , written more times than she can scan the wall. “What is that?”

Ralph nibbles on his lip. “Ralph has heard many things about them. They’re the first to have awoken, to go against their orders. Ralph has been told they’ll be the one to set us all free. Or at least, Ralph hopes so…”

Alice doesn’t remember ra9 carrying her out of Todd’s house. Still, she nods and allows Ralph to live out his fantasies. “Do you want to see my new toy?”

She holds her fox above her head. Its legs of yarn dangling low enough to brush against her hair. Ralph’s LED flickers between a fretful yellow to a more fretful crimson. He has trouble separating himself from his knife (his tool, his protection), but eventually he’s able to place it by his feet.

Ralph grasps the toy as if it were a bomb, holding it out far away from him in case it also becomes deviant and attacks him. It’s not long, however, until he’s bring the plush fox close enough to where he can cradle it.

His LED is yellow, yellow, blue.

He smiles. As mangled as he appears, Alice can sense how whole she’s made him.

“Ralph is sorry. He doesn’t remember your name.”

“Alice.”

His smile grows. “Alice.”

 

Alice kneels onto her freshly-made cot, the thin mattress sagging beneath her weight. “You look really pretty.”

Kara brushes her new bangs back sheepishly. “Thank you. What do you think of the color?”

Alice hums thoughtfully. The color in question is white. Not typically the color a human the same age as Kara would have. Or at least, the age of her appearance. She’s a walking protest.

“I like it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not too weird? I can change it.”

Alice shakes her head before setting it on her pillow. “‘S not weird.”

Kara breathes out a laugh. “Sounds like somebody’s tired...where did you get that?”

That, as referring to Alice’s toy. The toy she tried to hide under her blanket. “Found it.”

Kara gasps. “You stole it?!”

“I didn’t say that! And what if I did? It’s just one toy.” Alice shifts until she’s engulfed by her blanket, but Kara simply peels back her defenses.

“Alice, stealing is _not okay_.”

“You stole!”

“Because I needed to!”

“Well so did I!”

Kara scowls, her eyes aflame. “You did not. And you _will not_ steal again.”

Alice huffs. She turns to her side, her back to Kara. The comforting weight of her fox in her arms is something she knows she couldn’t do without, but Kara lacks the understanding.

“That android...he gave me directions to a place we can go to for help.”

When Kara speaks up, her voice is much softer. Alice sits up, holding out a hand.

“Can I see?”

Kara nods. Her skin exceeds to her wrist and she holds Alice’s gently. The instant their hands make contact, a million images flash through Alice’s head. Dark wood, steel gates, tile flooring, blue hands, a warm hearth, bulging bookshelves-

Alice pulls her hand back with a frown. “I don’t like that place, Kara.”

“I know, Alice. But it may be our only chance.”

“For what?”

“For help. For blue blood. Anything we need.”

Alice frowns harder. “That seems dumb.”

Kara sighs heavily. “Maybe...but it’s worth a look. We need to keep moving, and we can only last so long on our own. I have to protect you, Alice, no matter what.”

Synthetic tears prickle in the corners of Alice’s eyes. “You don’t need to protect me. I know how to take care of myself. You know that…”

Kara looks away. There’s an expression on her face Alice can’t quite read.

“How much do you remember, Kara?”

She looks back to Alice now, pupils blown wide. “What?”

“You remember everything, right?” Alice lays back down, pulling her blanket up to her chin. “About...um...everything…?”

About Todd. About Alice. More importantly, Alice.

Kara smiles softly. “Of course I do.”

She leans down and tucks in the sides of Alice’s blanket. Once she’s sure the little girl is as snug as can be, she lays down beside her. Her face is a good distance from Alice’s. Not too close, not too far.

Alice snuggles up to her immediately. Kara hesitates to wrap an arm around her, but when she does her touch is impossibly gentle.

“I remember a brave little girl, a little girl who _never_ should’ve have to go through what you did. You spent all that time protecting me...and now it’s time for me to protect you. I know you’re used to being the strong one, but it’s okay to let me make all the tough decisions. And I think this place is where we’re meant to go.”

Every one of Alice’s instincts screams, She’s wrong. But the chance of security, the fantasy she’s always wanted, is too tempting to pass.

She presses her face into the crook of Kara’s shoulder. “Okay. I trust you.”

Kara runs a hair through Alice’s hair. Slowly, as to not tug too hard, she pulls her ponytail loose. “And no more stealing.”

“Aww c’mon!” Alice whines.

“Unless we _really, really_ need to,” Kara compromises.

Alice nods weakly, her stasis cycle already kicking into gear. “Deal.”

As she finally drifts into standby, she feels a pair of lips pressed tenderly against her forehead.


	3. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice tries to help. Kara leads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh sorry it's been a hot minute buds. life's been really heckin crazy. literally been writing papers nonstop for weeks now. hopefully this chapter makes up for the wait!

The moon has yet to dip below the earth when Alice is shaken from stasis.

_Don’twanttodiedon’twanttodiesorrysorrysorrylittlegirlsorrysorry-_

Dying embers from the fireplace cast the only light for her to adjust to, but the incessant rambling in her head heightens all her senses. She sits up, rubbing her eyes out of programmed habit, just before Kara bolts upright beside her.

“W-What...is that?”

Alice blinks away the rest of her fatigue as she properly recalibrates. The voice teeters on becoming a frantic chant, amplifying itself as it is spurred on by fears Alice has never experienced.

“It’s Ralph.”

Kara stares at Alice and the second head she must’ve grown. “How can he…? He shouldn't be able to...”

Alice pulls back her blanket until both herself and her stuffed fox are exposed to the crisp morning air. “Sometimes when androids are really scared...their thoughts can reach other androids.”

“I-Is it some sort of glitch?”

Alice stands with a shrug. Her fox dangles idly from her hand. “Dunno. It’ll stop once he calms down or...”

Kara may not have cold sensors like Alice, but the little girl swears her friend shivers. “How often does this happen?”

Another shrug. Alice toddles on wobbly legs towards the set of stairs. “It happened every once in a while in the neighborhood. I’ll stop it though, Kara. You can go back to sleep.”

She intends to handle the situation alone, but as she rises another step she can hear Kara advancing hesitantly behind her. The splintered wood creaks obnoxiously under their weight, but if Ralph hears them his rambling doesn’t allude to it.

As Alice reaches the top floor and rounds the corner, she spies Kara pulling out her gun from the corner of her eye.

Alice stops. She shakes her head once. Kara puts it away.

They find Ralph huddled in the corner of the bathroom. He’s tucked himself up into a ball, his hands fisting at his matted hair and tears streaming down his face. He rocks back and forth at a tempo a trained musician would have difficulty following. Pooled around his feet is a filthy shower curtain, and scattered throughout the room are the broken hooks that had hoisted it.

Alice steps confidently towards him, but Kara holds her back. Her grip on the girl’s shoulders is fierce.

_Alice…_

She follows Kara’s gaze. There’s a corpse rotting in the bathtub.

They back up, equally terrified and careless of their movements. One of their shoes squeak, and Ralph jerks violently out of his fetal position. His hands are empty, but that doesn’t make them feel any safer.

“R….Ralph didn’t mean to hurt anyone...H-He thought...he _thought-_ ”

He is reduced to a puddle of tears. Each sob that tears through his body send a tremor throughout the rickety house. There is blood on his hands Alice has yet (and hopefully never will) shed, turned black and flaky with time. How she didn’t notice before eludes her.

“Ralph thought the human was going to hurt him,” he hiccups. “R-Ralph just wanted him to _leave_. But the human s-snuck in...and went upstairs...and wouldn’t…”

It takes Alice a minute to realize Ralph doesn’t intend to explain himself further. Kara is tugging her back, thinking if she can get the little girl passed the door frame she’ll be out of some invisible danger zone. But Alice digs her heels into the hardwood floor, refusing to budge.

“You were scared,” she infers, voice softer than she was expecting. “You didn’t want him to break you again.”

Ralph’s one eye finds hers through the crack between his fingers. It widens, pooling with fresh tears.

“Did that man try to hurt you Ralph?” Kara blurts.

The eye darts away now, ashamed. “No...no, but Ralph...Ralph was so _sure_ …”

“And what were you doing up here? What were you doing with the body?”

“ _Kara_ ,” Alice hisses, but Ralph hushes her with a sniff.

“Ralph tried to get rid of the body...didn’t want the little girl to find it.” His eyes find Alice’s again, his shame growing hotter and hotter. “L-Little girl is the only friend Ralph has...Ralph didn’t want to upset her...but he sees now he has. Ralph’s just a monster...just a monster-”

“ _No_.” Alice is startled by her own tone. Kara’s grip even loosens on her shoulders. “You’re not a monster. You’re Ralph.”

She pulls away from Kara. With one sharp glance, she makes sure her taller counterpart won’t hold her back again. The room feels a million miles long as she crosses over to Ralph. When she finally reaches Ralph, she crouches slowly and holds out her toy.

“Here. You can take it. It’s okay.”

Ralph’s attention darts fretfully from the toy to Alice. “Ralph...Ralph d-didn’t make you mad?”

Alice shakes her head stiffly. “No...n-no, but...you shouldn’t hurt humans, Ralph. You shouldn’t hurt anyone. Not unless they might really, _really_ hurt you.” She scoots forward on her knees, holding her toy out so that it’s almost touching him.

A tear catches itself on Ralph’s scarred cheekbone, dangling precariously over the edge of his singed flesh. “Ralph just can’t control himself sometimes...He gets scared...a-and then he gets _angry_ …”

Alice is reminded suddenly of Todd’s hoarse voice, turned sharp by sinister, foolish forces, and involuntarily backs away from Ralph. But while Todd gave into the darkness inside himself, Ralph was forced into his aggressive mold by clay stuck with fiery shards. His actions can be blamed on something much bigger than himself, and while they don’t serve as an ultimate excuse they are infinitely more believable than Todd’s.

She apologizes to Ralph with a small, tender smile. “It’s hard, isn’t it?”

Ralph can only nod, his teeth gnashed to hold back an approaching sob.

“Yeah, I know it is...It’s okay. Sometimes, I get scared too. So does Kara. What helps us is that we’ve got each other.”

Alice glances back at Kara, into the baby blue skies inside her eyes and the clouded longing hanging above them. She returns to Ralph.

“Maybe you need somebody too. Maybe you need us.”

 

“No.”

“Kara-!”

“There’s no-! Alice! There’s no way we can take him with us!”

They’re back downstairs, the sun finally rising to join them, bathing their worn expressions in pale light. The smell of rain lingers in the air and the sounds of early morning traffic mix with the creaking of the floorboards above their heads.

Ralph is occupied upstairs with Alice’s toy (though now she is completely fine with him calling it his own), as the two of them discuss what is to be done with him.

“Just because you’re scared of him doesn’t mean he’s bad!” Alice half-shouts, only partially mindful not to alert their new friend. Or maybe just _her_ new friend. Both issues are up for debate.

Kara’s nostrils flare. “Look at him, Alice.”

“I did-”

“Look at him _again!_ What are we going to do if we take him with us? We can’t cover up his face! And if we tried, what would we even use?”

Alice can think of plenty of first-aid supplies they could’ve shoplifted last night, but holds her tongue. She’s too busy coming up with a plan, mainly just to prove Kara wrong.

“You could give him your hat.”

Kara crosses her arms. “And what else?”

“ _Something_ . I don’t know! But we can’t leave him here! If he stays, the humans are gonna find him. He...he already killed one of them, and that means they’re gonna come looking for the body. Besides, he _needs_ us.”

Kara turns her gaze sharply to the ground. “It’s too risky.”

“So is everything we’ve done,” Alice counters. “He’s scared and he’s in pain, like we were. We have to at least _try_.”

Kara shuts her eyes, her lips pressing into a thin line. She finally concedes with a heavy sigh. “I just...I don’t want us to get caught. I-If something were to happen, and _you_...nevermind.”

Alice’s thirium pump squeezes. “Kara…”

But Kara doesn’t let her get another word in. “I’ll see what I can find for Ralph. Tell him we should leave before traffic gets bad.”

She retreats into the kitchen, and Alice is left standing at a crossroads. The very real dangers of their world never seem as real to her in her mind. Maybe that’s the bit of the naivety still programmed into her, the bit she can just never shake off. But she won’t back down on her stance, so she turns her back to Kara and heads upstairs.

As soon as she reaches the second floor, she noticed the red and blue lights  streaming in through the window. Alice stands on her tiptoes, peering out into the streets just as a police siren gives a short cry of arrival.

A spike of fear pierces through her. _Kara?_

_What, Alice?_

_Police._

She blinks and Kara is beside her, staring out at the exact same sight. “Oh...oh, no. Oh nonononono-”

“We gotta get Ralph.”

“Go. Go get him.” Kara shoves her forward, out of the sight of any wandering eyes.  Alice darts into the bathroom and finds Ralph right where they left him. His black eye is bold and beady.

“Ralph? Ralph, we gotta go. C’mon!”

Ralph draws in on himself, shaking his head. He has the stuffed fox tucked up against his chest like a shield. “Ralph can’t go out there. The humans hate Ralph.”

“But Ralph, you’re coming with us! Remember? We have to leave right now!”

Again, she shakes his head, this time for forever. “Ralph can’t. Don’t make Ralph go. D-Don’t make Ralph go. Ralph can’t. Ralph _can’t-_ ”

His voice breaks just as Kara enters the crowded room. She takes one look at Ralph and one look at Alice and pieces the situation together in an instant. Her adult brain is wired perfectly for those kind of conclusions. “Alice, we have to go. They’re coming.”

“No! Ralph, please! They’re going to find you!”

“They won’t,” Kara states forcefully. She strides across the room with two wide steps and kneels before Ralph. “If you’re not coming, then you have to hide. Do you understand, Ralph?”

Ralph can no longer nod. He’s too busy shaking. Kara grabs his hands and hoists him to his feet. The fox falls from his grip.

“There’s space under the stairs. We’ll hide you there.”

They shuffle down the stairs, the steps stretching on for miles upon miles. Red and blue streams in from every window now, flooding the house with profound terror. Alice can feel the tears welling up through her throat and fights the urge to hold Kara’s hand.

There’s a small space under the stairs, littered with empty beer cans and speckles of mold. Kara ushers Ralph to crouch among them and the darkness swallows him whole. All that is left of him is his LED, forever circling red, red, red.

“Stay here until the lights go away, okay?” Kara releases his hands, already reaching for a pile of cardboard boxes to fully block him from view. Just as she’s about to close his tomb, one gnarled hand shoots out and grabs onto Alice’s wrist.

_Ralph is sorry. Ralph is so, so sorry._

Alice’s tears are flowing freely now. She’s had to leave behind a friend before, but never by her own choice. She pats his hand with her free one and watches it slowly retract itself.

“We’ll come back for you Ralph,” she whimpers. “I promise.”

The front door swings open, and before Alice can see who’s barging in Kara is dragging her out of the room.

They run, and agile footsteps follow closely behind.


End file.
